Vacationing in Greece and Italy (and a little of Turkey)

R

RussSchultz

Professional Malcontent
Veteran
Vacation time coming up.

I'll be visiting the following cities:
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Santorini, greece
Rhodes, greece
Samos, greece
Kusadasi, Turkey
Athens
Katakolon, Greece
Valletta, Malta
Rome, Italy
Venice, Italy
Sorrento/Pompeii, Italy

If anybody has suggestions for 'off the beaten path' things to do, restaurants to eat at, etc, I'd appreciate any input.

We'd like to find some sea kayaking or something in Samos, but I'm not sure we've got time to organize that.

Thanks in advance!
 
Talk to london-boy. He was born and raised in Italy. For the other parts, haven't a clue.

Only place I've been to outside the continental US is Japan and Hong Kong.
 
When you're in south of Italy (Sorrento/Pompeii) try climbing Mnt. Vesuvio, the active volcano that destroyed Pompeii. It's hard work, but you get a great view of the Naples bay and, well, it's just cool to say you climbed up an active volcano. Avoid Naples (the city), though, as in the summer it gets too damn hot and nobody goes out in the day.

In Rhodes visit the old town and don't, what ever you do, be tempted to rent a scooter.
 
Sorrento is awesome as a base for your exploration. I recommend Villa Oriana in Sorrento. It's a B&B style house on the side of the mountain. The owner is a Sophia Loren-type women, very charming, extremely friendly, and her son Pascali will even pick up you from the train station in their SUV instead of calling for taxis.

She cooks fresh italian breakfast, with all the ingredients locally grown in her villa. (e.g. the eggs, tomatos, grapes, etc all on her estate)

From there you can go easily to Pompeii area, the mountain, or go to Capri and try to hike up to Anacapri.

I would also recommend going to Siena, renting a car, and driving around the roads stopping at Chianti vineyards. They have some great restaurants hidden away in medieval fort towns. I didn't stay here, but I ran into some folks who did who said it was awesome: Tuscan Way. IMHO, Tuscan food is the best.

I second the recommendation to stay away from Naples, Milan too, unless you like shopping. If you go to Florence, try this restaurant: Zsa Zsa's and get the traditional soups.

Venice is a tourist trap, but a romantic tourist trap. I did 3 days there, pretty much bottled up, except for excusions to nearby Islands. I would save it to the end of the trip, have a last night or two romance there, shopping, eating, and listening to music.

BTW, in Instanbul, stay away from nightclubs run by Ukranians or Russians. I have had severel people told me they were forced into these clubs in certain areas of Turkey and liberated of their cash via forced bar fees (unless you want to get the shit kicked out of you)
 
Natoma said:
Only place I've been to outside the continental US is Japan and Hong Kong.
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oh yeah? well, I've been to Texas, Arkansas, Kansas (when i was like 2, don't remember it), Colorado, and New Mexico! Oh yeah and, of course, Oklahoma, my home state. Man, that's like more than twice the places you've been!
 
Go to molfeta . Nice small town. Just don't hook up with any of the women. i believe 90% of them are releated to me in some way
 
You must see the Almalfi Coast. Solerno, Postitano, Amalfitano. It is a breath taking drive with beautiful towns.
 
IST said:
*Goes to Molfeta and makes it with said 90% of the women to just piss of jvd.* :devilish:
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Please you don't want any of my family . THey just bitch and whine and yell very loudly all of the time.
 
jvd said:
IST said:
*Goes to Molfeta and makes it with said 90% of the women to just piss of jvd.* :devilish:
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Please you don't want any of my family . THey just bitch and whine and yell very loudly all of the time.
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I didn't say I was going to stick around, now did I? ;) :devilish:
 
jvd said:
IST said:
*Goes to Molfeta and makes it with said 90% of the women to just piss of jvd.* :devilish:
Click to expand...

Please you don't want any of my family . THey just bitch and whine and yell very loudly all of the time.
Click to expand...
hey, cool got a daughter, sister, neice, or cousin aroung age 19? I seem to do very well with that type of person and they like how I just sit there and take all the abuse without getting upset :p
 
digitalwanderer said:
Diplo said:
In Rhodes visit the old town and don't, what ever you do, be tempted to rent a scooter.
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Just curious, why not rent a scooter? :|
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My guess is because spending the rest of the vacation in hospital isn't as fun as it sounds, and it doesn't sound very fun to begin with...

Something that applies to Rhodes and probably most of the Greece archipelago is that when eating small holes in the wall with fluorescent lamps and plastic chairs are generally preferrable to cozy restaurants and everything with its menu in pictures.

Also, when visiting Rhodes old town (which is worth visiting; do make sure to wander astray of the main tourist streets), see if you can get up on the wall for a walk around the town. You enter via the, uh, palace and it's open maybe once a week.
 
digitalwanderer said:
Diplo said:
In Rhodes visit the old town and don't, what ever you do, be tempted to rent a scooter.
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Just curious, why not rent a scooter? :|
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Because a lot of them are broken. Not in the "hey I just lost a gear" but in the "Shit my brakes stopped working" sense.
 
hupfinsgack said:
Because a lot of them are broken. Not in the "hey I just lost a gear" but in the "Shit my brakes stopped working" sense.
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Pfffft, brakes are for women and children! Real men just lay 'em down in the gravel doing 40mph to stop. 8)
 
IST said:
jvd said:
IST said:
*Goes to Molfeta and makes it with said 90% of the women to just piss of jvd.* :devilish:
Click to expand...

Please you don't want any of my family . THey just bitch and whine and yell very loudly all of the time.
Click to expand...


I didn't say I was going to stick around, now did I? ;) :devilish:
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trust me they wont let u leave . I went to italy for a week and i ended up staying for a month :)
 
Sage said:
jvd said:
trust me they wont let u leave . I went to italy for a week and i ended up staying for a month :)
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take me next time!!! o_O
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haha no problem.

But my little sister is studying in london next year so i might go there instead. Or vist her roomate where ever she goes ;)
 
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